AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sporophytes are the plant generation that produces spores. A haploid gametophyte phase follows a diploid sporophyte phase in the life cycle of seedless vascular plants.

Detailed explanation-2: -Seedless vascular plants reproduce through unicellular, haploid spores instead of seeds; the lightweight spores allow for easy dispersion in the wind. Seedless vascular plants require water for sperm motility during reproduction and, thus, are often found in moist environments.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sporangia in Seedless Plants The sporophyte bears the sporangia (singular, sporangium): organs that first appeared in the land plants. The term “sporangia” literally means “spore in a vessel”: it is a reproductive sac that contains spores.

Detailed explanation-4: -The life cycle of seedless vascular plants consists of alternating generations between a haploid gametophyte stage and the diploid sporophyte phase.

Detailed explanation-5: -After fertilization, the zygote matures and grows into a sporophyte, which in turn will form sporangia, or “spore vessels, ” in which mother cells undergo meiosis and produce haploid spores. The release of spores in a suitable environment will lead to germination and a new generation of gametophytes.